Power outage at Madrid workshop delays high-speed trains from Atocha

A power supply failure at the Cerro Negro workshop caused delays of up to three and a half hours for high-speed trains departing from Madrid’s Atocha station on Thursday afternoon. The fault, which began around 14:45–16:00, affected trains operated by Renfe, Ouigo, and Iryo, hitting services to Toledo, Cádiz, Málaga, and Barcelona Source: ABC.es.

What happened

Adif reported that a voltage drop in the Cerro Negro workshop—a facility owned by Renfe, not Adif—disrupted capacity management on the terminal's tracks Source: La Vanguardia. This prevented trains parked at Cerro Negro from reaching Atocha, forcing operators to wait for other incoming services. Renfe used diesel traction to move some units, adding to the delays Source: Infobae.

Impact and response

• Delays lasted from about 14:45 until after 18:00, affecting dozens of services. Renfe apologized to passengers but could not provide precise timetables, advising them to follow station announcements Source: ABC.es.
• A separate incident the day before had left over 400 passengers stranded at Atocha after two trains were cancelled Source: ABC.es.
• On Thursday, a train driver refused to depart the 18:45 service because the air conditioning was not working, deeming it a safety risk. Passengers were told the train would be taken to workshops and a replacement brought Source: ABC.es.